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N 9, 9 M. w. FEDERBUSH ETAL LOOSE LEAF BOOK LOCK Filed April 22, 1964 United States Patent 3,288,143 LOOSE LEAF BOOK LOCK Max W. Federbush and Alexander P. Federbush, both of 35 E. 75th St., New York, N.Y. Filed Apr. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 361,733 1 Claim. (Cl. 129-43) This invention relates generally to loose-leaf books and more particularly to new and useful improvements in a loose-leaf binder, and this invention is an improvement over the disclosure of my Letters Patent No. 2,568,227.

In the loose-leaf book disclosed in this patent, the cover parts and leaves are fastened by a fastening sleeve assembly including a rotatable and hinged finger ring that if not properly oriented projects outwardly in noncollapsible condition in the path of closing movement of one of the cover parts so that said cover part is liable to become damaged by resistance offered by the protruding finger ring. It is the primary object of the present invent-ion therefore to so orient the finger ring that the change of damaging the cover part is eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to so orient the finger ring that it cannot rotate and is always in collapsible condition so that it is automatically collapsed by the cover part during the closing movement of said cover art. p For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a loose-leaf book embodying the present invention, parts being broken broken away.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 22 of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a disassembled top perspective view of the top part of the fastening sleeve assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a horizontally sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawings, in FIG. 1 a loose-leaf book embodying the invention is illustrated and designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The book comprises broadly rectangular leaves 12 loosely and removably bound between cover parts 14 and 16. Cover part 14 has an upstanding flange 18 and cover part 16 has a depending flange 20 overlapping flange 18, the flanges l8 and 20 constituting the back of the book. Cover part 16 is hingedly secured to the cover part 14 by hirges 22.

The leaves 12 may be removably and loosely bound between the cover parts 14 and 16 by means disclosed in my Patent No. 2,568,227. Such means includes a plurality of spaced pins 24 extending upwardly on cover part 14, adjacent to the flange 18 thereof, only one pin being shown. The pins are secured to the cover part 14 by peening over the securing end of the pin in the manner as shown at 25 to bring the cover part against the flange 27 on the pin. The loose leaves 12 have holes 26 for receiving the pins 24.

A rectangular plate 28 extends from end to end of the leaves and is hinged to the cover part 16 by the hinges 22. Midway the ends of the plate 28, a hole 30 is formed therein which is in alignment with the holes 26 in the leaves.

3,288,143 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 A fastening sleeve assembly 32 shown in detail in FIG. 2 is removably positioned through the hole 30 in plate 28 and through the holes 26 in the leaves 12 and is removably mounted on the center spaced pin 24 on cover part 14. This sleeve assembly 32 comprises an outer sleeve 34 which has a tapered internal bore 36. The upper end of the sleeve 34 has a flange 37. The upper end of the sleeve is made secure upon the plate 28 by a slightly tapered plug part 38 having an axial opening or bore extending therethrough and which is tight-fitted into the tapered opening 36 and extended through a hole in the plate 28. This plug part 38 has a hole therein through which is slidable a cylindrical operating member 40 which has an enlarged hollow portion 32 for receiving the pin 24.

A shoulder 44 is provided against which a spring 46 reacts to urge normally the operating member 40 outwardly so that its finger ring 48 engages the outer face of the plug part 38. A finger can be extended through the ring 48 to lift the operating member 40 against the action of spring 46. The spring will be compressed.

The lower end of the hollow portion 42 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes 50 in which are retained small locking ball elements 52. These ball elements ride along the surface of bore 36 and will engage with the surface of the pin 24 to retain and lock the same against outward displacement from the hollow portion 42. With an outward pull of the pin 24, the balls will be rolled into tight gripping relationship therewith. By this means, the locking action of the pin 24 with the sleeve assembly 32 is effected. In order to release the pin 24 and the balls 52 from their engagement therewith, the operating member 40 and the balls are drawn inwardly so that the balls may be made free.

The matter of removing the leaves 12 from the book can be readily effected by the simple lifting of the finger ring 48, swinging the plate 28 outwardly and lifting the leaves off of the pins 24.

In accordance with the present invention, the reduced end of the cylindrical operating member 40 is formed with flattened opposed surfaces as indicated at 60, 60, intersecting the adjacent end of the member. Said reduced flattened end passes through bore 62 of the plug part 38, outwardly of the top end thereof. The plug part 38 is formed with opposed countersunk recesses 66, 66, the base of each recess slanting downwardly and inwardly of the plug part and formed with a lug portion 68 that extends slightly into the bore 62 of the plug part into engagement with the flattened portions 60, 60 of the end of the cylindrical operating member 40. By reason of this construction, that is, by reason of the lug portions 68 engaging the opposed flattened portions 66 of the operating member 40, said operating member is permitted to slide in the plug part 38 but is prevented from rotation so that when the finger ring 48 is in normal position, that is, when the plane of the body of the ring is in a position parallel to the plane of the long edges of the plate 28 as shown in' FIG. 1, the upper edge of the body of the ring will be in the path of movement of the cover part 16 and the sockets 70 in the top end of the operating member 40 will be in proper position to permit the finger ring 48 to swing inwardly and downwardly in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1 and the arrows B and C in FIG. 2 to collapsed horizontal position, and to permit the cover part 16 to be moved to closed position without any resistance by the finger ring and therefore free of any liability of damage.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A loose leaf book construction comprising book cover parts having overlapping rear flanges, one of said parts having upstanding pins adapted to enter respectively holes in the supported loose leaves, an elongated rectangular plate hinged to the inner surface of the other of said cover parts, said plate having a hole midway the length thereof, a sleeve fastener assembly carried by the plate and adapted to extend through the hole therein, and over one of the upstanding pins on said one cover part, said sleeve assembly comprising a sleeve having an internal tapered opening and a top flange adapted for engagement with the underside of the cover part plate, a slightly tapered plug extending through said plate hinged to the other cover part and having a flange overlying the upper side of the other cover part plate and an axial opening extending therethrough, said plug tightly fitted in the flanged end of the sleeve and the flanges of the sleeve and plug cooperating with the other cover part plate to fix the sleeve fastener assembly to the other cover part plate, an operating member in said sleeve and slidable through said plug axial opening, said operating member having a hollow sleeve portion adapted to receive one of the pins of the one cover part and having a shoulder portion, said sleeve portion having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings in the lower end thereof, gripping balls lying respectively in the circumferentially spaced openings and operable over the tapered internal surface of the sleeve, a spring surrounding the operating member and engaging the slightly tapered plug and the shoulder portion on the operating member whereby to urge normally the operating member outwardly of the sleeve and the gripping balls in tight engagement with the internally tapered surface of the sleeve, a finger pull ring 'hingedly mounted on the outer end of the operating member and extending on both sides thereof whereby to act against the flange of the slightly tapered plug to serve as a stop to limit the outward movement of the operating member and to confine the gripping balls within the end of the sleeve, the plane of the body of the pull ring normally in a plane parallel to the long edges of the plate hinged to the inner surface of said other cover part, and means for preventing displacement of said ring out of said normal plane whereby said ring offers no resistance to the closing movement of said other cover part, said latter means including opposed flattened surfaces on the ting-attaching end of the operating member, the flange of the plug being deformed to form recesses on its upper surface on opposite sides of its bore, the base of each recess extending downwardly and inwardly forming opposed integral long-faced lug portions on the inner ends of the bases of the recesses in opposed relation with the opposed flattened surfaces on the operating member whereby r0- tation of the operating member with its ring is prevented.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,286,060 6/1942 Buenger et a1. 129--13 2,308,363 1/1943 Gu'inane 129-13 2,327,873 8/1943 Dawson l2913 2,568,227 9/1951 Federbush 1298 3,085,462 4/1963 Myers -5 JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. 

